Chronology of Søren Kierkegaard's Life



  • 1813
    • May 5 Søren Kierkegaard born in his father’s house on the Nytorv [New Square] in Copenhagen.
  • 1821
    • Søren Kierkegaard starts at Borgerdydskolen [School of Civic Virtue].
  • 1823
    • January 23 Regine Olsen born.
  • 1830
    • October 30 Søren Kierkegaard enrolls as a theology student at the University.
  • 1834
    • July 31 Søren Kierkegaard’s mother dies.
  • 1838
    • August 9 Søren Kierkegaard’s father dies.
    • September 7 From the Papers of One Still Living. Published against his will.
  • 1840
    • July 3 Søren Kierkegaard passes the examination for the theological degree.
    • July 19 - August 6 Søren Kierkegaard travels to Jutland.
    • September 8 Søren Kierkegaard proposes to Regine Olsen.
  • 1841
    • c. August 11 Søren Kierkegaard returns Regine Olsen’s ring.
    • September 29 Søren Kierkegaard defends his dissertation On the Concept of Irony (with continual reference to Socrates) for the degree of magister.
    • October 11 Søren Kierkegaard makes the final break with Regine Olsen.
    • October 25 Søren Kierkegaard departs for Berlin.
  • 1842
    • March 6 Søren Kierkegaard returns from Berlin.
  • 1843
    • February 20 Either- Or, published by Victor Eremita.
    • May 8 Søren Kierkegaard departs from Berlin.
    • May 16 Two Edifying Discourses
    • End of June Søren Kierkegaard returns from Berlin.
    • October 16
      • Repetition by Constantin Constantius
      • Fear and Trembling by Johannes de silentio
      • Three Edifying Discourses
    • December 6 Four Edifying Discourses
  • 1844
    • March 5 Two Edifying Discourses
    • June 8 Three Edifying Discourses
    • June 13 Philosophical Fragments or A Fragment of Philosophy
      By Johannes Climacus, published by S. Kierkegaard.
    • June 17 The Concept of Anxiety by Vigilius Haufniensis.
      Foreword by Nicolaus Notabene.
    • August 31 Four Edifying Discourses
  • 1845
    • April 29 Three Discourses on Imagined Occasions.
    • April 30 Stages on Life’s Way, published by Hilarius Bogbinder.
    • May 13 Søren Kierkegaard departs for Berlin.
    • May 24 Søren Kierkegaard returns from Berlin.
    • May 29 Eighteen Edifying Discourses. Published by C.A. Reitzel.
    • December 27 Newspaper article: "The Activity of a wandering aesthetician, and how he ended up paying for the feast," signed Frater Taciturnus, responsible for the 3rd section of Stages on Life's Way. This article contains the statement: " Now if only I might soon appear in the Corsair." This started the quarrel with the humourous magazine The Corsair, which caricatured SK in text and cartoon until the summer of 1846.
  • 1846
    • February 27 Concluding Unscientific Postscript to the Philosophical Fragments by Johannes Climacus, published by S. Kierkegaard.
    • March 30 A Literary Review
    • May 2 [?] Søren Kierkegaard departs for Berlin.
    • May 16 Søren Kierkegaard returns from Berlin.
  • 1847
    • March 13 Edifying Discourses in various Spirits.
    • September 29 Works of Love.
    • November 3 Regine Olsen marries Frederik Schlegel.
  • 1848
    • April 26 Christian Discourses
    • July 24-27 Serialized newspaper story “The Crisis and a crisis in an Actress’ Life” by Inter et Inter in Fædrelandet.
  • 1849
    • May 14
      • The Lilies of the Field and the Birds of the Air.
      • Three Devotional Discourses
    • May 19 Two Minor Ethical-Religious Essays by H.H.
    • July 30 The Sickness unto Death by Anti-Climacus, published by S. Kierkegaard
    • Nov. 13 “The High Priest” - “The Publican “ - “The Woman that was a Sinner”,
    • Three Discourses at the Communion on Fridays.
  • 1850
    • September 27 Practice in Christianity by Anti-Climacus, published by S. Kierkegaard.
    • December 20 An Edifying Discourse.
  • 1851
    • August 7 On my Activity as an Author
    • Discourses at the Communion on Fridays
    • September 10 For Self-Examination (Recommended to the present age)
  • 1854
    • January 30 Bishop Mynster dies.
    • April 15 Professor Martensen named bishop.
    • December 18 Newspaper article: “Was Bishop Mynster a 'Witness to the Truth,’ one of 'the proper witnesses to the truth’ - is this the truth?”
    • December 30 Newspaper article: “Leave it at that!.”
  • 1855
    • January 12 Newspaper article: “A request to me from Pastor Paludan Müller”.
    • January 29 Newspaper article: “The point at issue with Bishop Martensen; who, ...
    • March 20 Newspaper article: “Upon the Death of Bishop Mynster”
    • March 21 Newspaper article: “Is this Christian worship of God or is it playing the fool with God?”
    • March 22 Newspaper article: “What is to be done. - It will now happen with me or with someone else.”
    • March 26 Newspaper article: “The religious situation”
    • March 28 Newspaper article: “One Thesis - only a single one”
    • March 30 Newspaper article: “Salt; since Christendom is: the decay of Christianity, “a Christian World is: the refuse from Christianity.”
    • March 31 Newspaper article: “What do I want?”
    • April 7 Newspaper article: “On the occasion of the anonymous proposal to me in this paper’s no. 79.”
    • April 11 Newspaper article: “Was it really right to 'stop now with pealing’?” and “Christianity with royal patent and Christianity without royal patent.”
    • April 27 Newspaper article: “What a cruel punishment!”
    • May 10 Newspaper article: “A Result” “A Monologue”
    • May 15 Newspaper article: “With regard to an idiotic joke aimed directly at me and the view of Christianity with which I am identified?”
    • May 16 Newspaper article: “To the new edition of Practice in Christianity
    • May 24 This Must Be Said, So Let It Be Said.
    • May 26 Newspaper article: “That Bishop Martensen’s silence is 1) indefensible in a Christian sense; 2) ridiculous; 3) stupidly shrewd; 4) in more than one sense contemptible”
    • May 26 Øieblikket Nr. 1
    • June 6 Øieblikket Nr. 2
    • June 16 What judgement Christ passes on official Christianity.
    • June 28 Øieblikket Nr. 3
    • July 9 Øieblikket Nr. 4
    • July 30 Øieblikket Nr. 5
    • August 24 Øieblikket Nr. 6
    • August 31 Øieblikket Nr. 7
    • September 3 The Immutability of God. A Discourse
    • September 14 Øieblikket Nr. 8
    • September 25 Øieblikket Nr. 9
    • October 2 Søren Kierkegaard admitted to Frederik’s Hospital.
    • November 11 Søren Kierkegaard dies.
    • November 18 Søren Kierkegaard’s funeral held at The Church of Our Lady with burial at Assistens Cemetery.


Based on the catalogue of the exhibit "Kierkegaard. The Secret Note", The Round Tower, Copenhagen, May 6 - June 9, 1996, arranged under the auspices of The Søren Kierkegaard Research Center by Niels Jørgen Cappelørn and The Søren Kierkegaard Society by Joakim Garff.


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